SMF - Just Installed!

Plumbing Issue

Started by JAQC, October 02, 2018, 10:35:38 AM

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JAQC

Apologies for a long post but I'd like to give the full detail so I can hopefully get an informed opinion on the matter.

To give a bit of background, I am a private tenant with one other renting a 2 bedroom 1st floor apartment in England.  We are both working professionals and have been living in the property for about 3 years.  I will provide a timeline of events that in my opinion has culminated in the problem we now face which is a plumbing/piping issue.

Since moving into the property from day 1, the water flow was always a little bit off or strange to us, it was never really problematic but every now and again the kitchen sink would slow drain or the shower would do the same.  We never really bothered with it as it just seemed like unconnected events and because it was sporadic, it didn't strike us as anything to worry about.

Fast forward about 1 year from moving into the property, we get a call from the downstairs flat saying that water is leaking through their roof.  The roof in question was located directly below our bathroom where we shower.  Long story short Landlord/letting agent eventually intervened (after a period of weeks with no shower) and dug up our whole bathroom to find the source of the problem.  Source of the problem was allegedly to do with how the bathroom had been built when the property was sub divided into an HMO.  Another issue was noted that the struts or wooden beams were weakened as extractor fans were placed in a position that they were blowing moisture onto them???
So they done the work, put the bathroom together again and said it was fixed but a few days later water starts leaking again downstairs.  They come back, dig it all up again and this time say they have to move the shower because of the weakened beams/struts.

They gave us two options:

1.   If the shower is to stay where it is, the whole structure would need repaired and we should end our tenancy and depart the property as it will take an extended period of time and be very disruptive building work.
2.   They can move the shower to the opposite side of the room as a sort of "temporary fix" where it will be 'ok' until we decide to leave the property.

We opted for option 2 as we both really couldn't be bothered moving property at the time, so we let them get on with it.  Now fast forward about a year and the downstairs flat is experiencing leaks again and all of a sudden our sinks and showers become really blocked.  If we filled our sink it would take about 30 minutes to drain and the shower tray would flood within a minute of running it.  On reporting this to the agent they recommended getting a plumber in to look at it, which we did and the plumber's opinion was that it was somehow blocked.  The plumber vacuumed the pipes out and it all seemed to be fixed. A few days later, our sinks and showers were back to the way they were before the plumber did his thing.  On consulting the plumber again they said there could be a blockage further down the pipes but they would need to mechanically rod them, which they did and the problem seemed to be fixed...again.

Surprise surprise a few days later the blockage/standing water returned, only this time it was only happening in the shower and not the sink.  Downstairs flat continuing to have leakages and now electrics damage as well as sever discolouration of the ceiling.  The downstairs flat had been hounding the letting agent for some time now who were not responsive and did not seem to want to do anything about it.

Upon consulting the agent about the situation and asking for them to sort it out they are now taking the stance that they are not willing to do anything about it until we can prove that the pipes are not blocked and are taking the stance that we have blocked the pipes and everything is our fault.  They are also trying to get us to pay for all of the work, which is currently sitting at around £600 with the potential to go much higher.  I get the feeling that they are trying to pin everything on us even though the property has a history of issues with the plumbing that was caused by what was apparently shoddy workmanship when the property was converted into an HMO.  The fact they are refusing to do any work to the downstairs flat until we in the upstairs property have proven exactly what the problem is seems odd as it's pretty clear to me that the exact same problems are there that occurred when the leakage first started and they ripped the bathroom apart.

I am concerned that they are trying to turn this onto us and will try to get us to pay for the damage to the property below.  I don't know plumbing at all but I am convinced there is some serious shoddy pipework or similar in the system somewhere.  I even overheard the plumbers who were rodding the drain talking about how "strange of a setup" the pipes were.  I also chatted to neighbors who knew the previous tenants and they apparently had lots of problems with plumbing also.
I would really appreciate any advice as to how I should approach this and just exactly what leg, if any I have to stand on here in terms of who is responsible.  Surely we can't be held responsible for what seems to me a serious plumbing issue with the way the pipe system is connected?  We are getting an independent plumber in this week to have a look at the system and give us a professional opinion of exactly what is wrong.

Thanks in advance.